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My Militarria

Hi, welcome to my personal collection of Military Regalia. Im an enthusiastic collector, and I'm especially phoenatic about WW1 military Regalia. My names Sergeant Roger.


For you who don't know (shamefully) military regalia is the distinctive clothing worn and ornaments carried at formal occasions as an indication of status. Id like to show you my collection, from over the years






I have collected fourteen different orders of dress. The most important being the temperate ceremonial uniform, it is a dark blue tunic and trousers or overalls with a coloured peaked cap. The caps, piping, welts and stripes help us distinguish different units. You can differentiate the cavalry regiments by the colour of the collar.

 I have also collected Frock coats something Senior officers sometimes wore.

 The Temperate parade uniform or more commonly known as service dress was worn for most formal duties by all units. I have The Khaki jacket, shirt, tie and trousers. The service tunic was thick and made of wool and dyed in khaki inks imported from Germany. Rifle patches were sewn in to prevent wear from the rifle. All officers and other ranks wore the same style and colour of service dress and was completely free, except officers had to purchase the caps, belts and shoes.

here are two of my personal studies of uniforms.  Hope you like it.

Badges

Detachable badges in metal or cloth are a key element of military uniforms.  They were worn on a caps, or collars, shoulders, arms, or cuffs.  They identified the rank of the serviceman, their particular regiment or ship, qualification or specialist trade, and distinguish those with gallantry awards, long service or who have been previously wounded. Servicemen also wore badges of larger formations (such as Brigades, Divisions or Armies), within which their unit is currently serving.
In my collection, I currently possess a cap badge from the Devonshire Regiment. Sometimes I enjoy wearing it too.

Army Ranking by Insignia 

A favourite pastime of mine is learning to recognise the different ranks through arm and shoulder insignia. It was a quick way of identification and implication of authority on and off the battlefield.

It's also a good way of learning how the differing army systems worked and how many sections and levels of hierarchy were present.

So far I can tell you all the British ranks by memory and am halfway through learning the French and German. Impressed? I like to test myself by visiting the Imperial War Museums and not looking at the labels!  

British Campaign Medals of WW1

A Campaign of War medal was awarded to an individual if he or she took part in a military campaign outside of the United Kingdom in a Theatre of War or in a time of war.There were 5 medals available for individuals who saw service in WW1. An individual could be issued with a maximum of 3 of these medals. Medals were impressed with the name of the recipient and usually included service number, rank and military unit. In addition to the 5 campaign medals, a badge was available to officers and men who had been honourably discharged due to sickness or wounds.

In my current collection, Campaign Medals I own include: a 1914 Star, British War Medal and Silver War Badge.

Here is a guide to the Campaign Medals of The First World War...

The 1914 Star:

 

Established in April 1917.

Also known as 'Pip' or the 'Mons Star'.

This bronze medal award was authorized by King George V in April 1917 for those who had served in France or Belgium between 5^th August 1914 to midnight on 22^nd November 1914 inclusive. The award was open to officers and men of the British and Indian Expeditionary Forces, doctors and nurses as well as Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Navy Reserve and Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve who served ashore with the Royal Naval Division in France or Belgium.

The 1914-15 Star:

Established in December 1918.

Also known as 'Pip'.

This bronze medal was authorized in 1918. It is very similar to the 1914 Star but it was issued to a much wider range of recipients. Broadly speaking it was awarded to all who served in any theatre of war against Germany between 5^th August 1914 and 31^st December 1915, except those eligible for the 1914 Star. Similarly, those who received the Africa General Service Medal or the Sudan 1910 Medal were not eligible for the award.

The British War Medal, 1914-1918:

Established on 26^th July 1919.

Also known as 'Squeak'.

The silver or bronze medal was awarded to officers and men of the British and Imperial Forces who either entered a theatre of war or entered service overseas between 5^th August 1914 and 11^th November 1918 inclusive. This was later extended to services in Russia, Siberia and some other areas in 1919 and 1920.

The Allied Victory Medal:

Also known as 'Wilfred'

It was decided that each of the allies should each issue their own bronze victory medal with a similar design, similar equivalent wording and identical ribbon.

The British medal was designed by W. McMillan. The front depicts a winged classical figure representing victory.

The Territorial Force War Medal 1914-1919:

Instituted on 26^th April 1920.

Only members of the Territorial Force and Territorial Force Nursing Service were only eligible for this medal. They had to have been a member of the Territorial Force on or before 30^th September 1914 and to have served in an operational theatre of war outside the United Kingdom between 5^th August 1914 and 11^th November 1918. An individual who was eligible to receive the 1914 Star or 1914/15 Star could not receive the Territorial War Medal.

The Silver War Badge:

The Silver War Badge was issued on 12^th September 1916.

The badge was originally issued to officers and men who were discharged or retired from the military forces as a result of sickness or injury caused by their war service. After April 1918 the eligibility was amended to include civilians serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps, female nurses, staff and aid workers.

Gallantry/Meritorious Service Awards

Some individuals were awarded with a gallantry medal, an award for distinguished or meritorious service or were Mentioned in Despatches for showing special courage or devotion to duty in a particular action or circumstance.

I have managed to obtain a Victoria Cross for my collection of First World War ephemera. 

Here are 3 of the most well know Gallantry awards (I will put up the rest in my next blog post)...

Victoria Cross (V.C.):

This is the highest award for gallantry. It is awarded for an act of outstanding courage or devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy. All ranks were, and still are, eligible when serving with the British and Commonwealth armed forces.

Distinguished Service Order (D.S.O.):

The D.S.O. was originally instituted as an award for officers of the British Army and Commonwealth Forces, usually at the rank of Major. It was, however, also awarded to officers at a rank above or below Major. The D.S.O. could be awarded for an act of meritorious or distinguished service in wartime and usually when under fire or in the presence of the enemy. It was also made available for officers at the equivalent rank in the Royal Navy and, from 1^st April 1918, the Royal Air Force.

Between 1914 and 1916 the D.S.O. was also awarded to some Staff officers when they were not under fire or in contact with the enemy. This was not well received at the time by officers who were in the field.

From 1^st January 1917 it was restricted to recommendations for individuals who were in the presence of the enemy. The award was generally given to an officer in command, but some were awarded to junior officers below the rank of Captain.

Military Cross (M.C.):

Instituted by Royal Warrant on 28^th December 1914.

The Military Cross was a decoration for gallantry during active operations in the presence of the enemy. individuals in the British Army, the Indian Army or the Colonial Forces. Commissioned officers with the rank of Captain or below or Warrant Officer were eligible for the award. From June 1917 officers of the rank of captain but who had a temporary rank of major could receive the award.

The WAAC  Regalia

During the Great war British women entered military uniform for the first time. A march on the 21st of July 1915 in London calling for more opportunities for women to help with the war effort, saw the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) established in December 1916. The WAAC uniform consisted of a small, tight-fitting khaki cap, khaki jackets and skirts.

 

I’m lucky enough to have got hold of a hat worn by a WAAC member and a collection of pin badges which were worn on caps and shoulders of the women!

MILITARIA FAIRS!

There are three upcoming fairs in Britain celebrating and selling collectable military regalia:

15/11/2015 - Birmingham Motorcycle Museum - Middle room immediate right

29/11/2015 - Newark Showgrounds - Main room immediate right

6/12/2015 - Leeds Pudsey Civic Hall - Main room immediate right

see for more details: http://www.jcmilitaria.com/fairs.asp

Can't wait to see what they have this time, always a great exciting atmosphere, come and see for yourself!

Personally I've got my eye on this splendid original water flask with a canvas carrier!